Chapin is a cast member of "Personal Care Assistant," a one-act play reading that will be staged 7 p.m. Aug. 15 in the Welpe Theatre at the college’s Branchburg campus, 118 Lamington Road. The performance is free of charge and open to the public.

Chapin is joined in the production by seven of RVCC's theater majors, as well as two of her fellow performers from the Matheny School in Peapack, which serves children and adults with severe disabilities. The one-act play reading was created by Russo with input from students.

Russo, a member of the Actors Studio since 2002, is also directing and performing in the one-act, which he describes as a “sitcom for the stage.” The plot revolves around a personal care assistant who is leaving his current assignment to take a new job.

RVCC Theatre Professor Dennis Russo applauds his students’ work in rehearsal of Personal Care Assistant during the College’s Theatre Production class.(Photo11: ~Courtesy of Raritan Valley Community College)

The laughs continue throughout the rehearsal, with the Matheny actors getting many of the best chuckles. In one scene, communicating via a recorded voice on an iPad, non-verbal actor Chester (Chet) Cheesman, in character as Frankie, asks, “Anna, can you apply the aftershave to my incredibly handsome face?”

RVCC, Matheny team up

This is the third consecutive summer that adult actors from Matheny — Cheesman of Franklin, Chapin of Basking Ridge and Natalia Manning of Hillsborough — are taking part in an RVCC class and production. The Matheny actors are participating as part of Matheny’s Arts Access program, which empowers individuals with disabilities to create art without boundaries.

The relationship between Matheny and RVCC first began in fall 2015, when Matheny staff reached out to the college’s administration in hopes of creating more community-based programs for their clients. According to Russo, the college’s weekly summer theater Production class seemed like the right opportunity.

“I remember thinking back to the first year of the program when it was brand new territory being in a creative environment with people with disabilities," said Heather Williams, Performing Arts and Outreach Coordinator, Matheny Arts Access Program. "I think everyone, including professor Russo, was so afraid that they would say or do something ‘wrong’ or ‘offensive.’ It was a learning curve to make the realization that our three artists are creative, inspired adults, just like them, and added great value, wit and substance to the work. Fast forward three years, Chet, Cheryl and Nat are just one of the gang. In the first five minutes, they were engaged in conversation about old movies and video games and that discomfort had disappeared.”

"As we all got to know each other I feel like it's been a natural evolution of what we've been doing — I wanted to do something more personal," said Russo. "The characters are specifically written towards their strengths and the play is about relationships and how people come in and out of our lives.

"Personal Care Assistant," a one-act play reading that will be staged August 15, at 7 p.m., in the Welpe Theatre at the Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg campus.(Photo11: Alexander Lewis / Editorial Intern)

The experience

Noting the benefits all of the performers gain from working together, Russo said, “It’s about exposure to a group of people who they don’t interact with every day. And because it’s ‘acting’ it’s more than just exposure, it’s an immersive experience that I’d like to think helps everyone grow on so many levels.

“I’d like to think my students have developed a confidence in themselves that will help them interact with all types of individuals," Russo added. "It’s an acting phrase, but they should be ‘in the moment’ with people. Really listen — and don’t judge. It’s funny how acting lessons can translate into life lessons. Even if someone has difficulty speaking or speaks through an iPad, be present and listen to them. Don’t try to move on to someone else just because you’re uncomfortable. As playwright David Mamet says, ‘Acting is being comfortable being uncomfortable.’”

"Personal Care Assistant," a one-act play reading that will be staged August 15, at 7 p.m., in the Welpe Theatre at the Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg campus.(Photo11: Alexander Lewis / Editorial Intern)

“I also think there is a certain pride in being able to show the other class participants that people with disabilities are capable of everything they are,” Williams said.

"It's a fantastic thing — it gives them an opportunity to have higher education, which is an opportunity that a lot of people with severe physical disabilities do not have," said Keith Garletts, Art Facilitator of the Art Access program at Matheny. "I think that's a great thing for these students, it'll change their lives.

"It's a phenomenal thing to be able to provide an opportunity for the residents and participants of the programs to integrate into fully into the community, " Garletts added.

During a recent rehearsal, several students remarked on how the program has impacted them personally.

"I get to work with a bunch of people I normally don't get to; it’s just a nice environment and a great way to spend a couple hours over the summer — it's honestly something I enjoy," said Lopatosky, 19, a third-year theater major who also worked with the program last summer.

"I’m just really looking forward to working with more people and getting a different perspective in theater," said Demarco, 20, a second-year theater major. "I think it’s a really good opportunity not just for them but also for us to be really collaborative and get a better sense of theater and representing the human experience."

"Personal Care Assistant," a one-act play reading that will be staged August 15, at 7 p.m., in the Welpe Theatre at the Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg campus.(Photo11: Alexander Lewis / Editorial Intern)

Russo said working with this group of students made him "want to create something for them and for me. I wanted to create something new that we could all participate in together — it’s given me a creative fire."

Going forward, Russo said, "It's been wonderful with Cheryl, Chet and Natalia but I think we're going to try to figure out a way to get maybe more involvement, more students. I also really enjoyed where this is going and we'd like to see it go on."

"Our mission is to enhance the lives of people with disabilities," said Iveth Mosquera, director of public and government relations at Matheny. "We try to provide them with as normal life as possible by giving them the tools and the resources that we can; we do this through donations, grants, some government funding."

The Arts Access Program at Matheny was founded to support our guiding belief: that each person is unique and valuable and should have access to enjoyable, rewarding life experiences, regardless of ability. Through Arts Access' novel communication and choice systems, under the guidance of highly trained facilitators, participants with severe developmental disabilities, many of whom are non-verbal, can participate fully in the visual, literary, and performing arts. The resulting work includes paintings, sculptures, poetry, plays, and choreographed dances born of the imaginations of Arts Access artists, finally free of limitations imposed by their disabilities to express their voices and visions.

For additional information about "Personal Care Assistant," contact the RVCC Visual and Performing Arts Department at 908-218-8876. For further information, visit raritanval.edu. For more information about the Matheny Arts Access program visit matheny.org.